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Krou 25 August 2004

Oh my, here we go again.

Truth is, I haven't been to this forum in ages and I'm glad I was reminded of it through a link someone posted in a different forum! I forgot how informative this community is, time to bookmark it again!

Anyways, the question at hand (and let me state that I did search with both brands as key words and have spent the last 2 hours reading all I could find, lots o' threads!), is trying to figure out what the general concensuss is on KRK monitors?

On my most recent visit to GC, armed with Radiohead's OK Computer, Massive Attack's Mezzanine and a Dr.Dre record, I indulged in a monitor shootout that left me enamored with a surprise 'favorite', the KRK V6. Once I got home I did a little reseach only to find that these are actually newer ones than the KRK's of days passed (the first ones released in '99?), these are the new V2 series (V4, V6, V8's) and my oh my, these V6's smoked the Mackie HR824's, 624's, Alesis M1mk2, M-Audio's, all the Events (yes, even the newer SP's). In terms of best overall response, depth, clarity, imaging and most importantly, the low-end, I was completely amazed at how good they sounded. On the bass side of things, what I noticed was how tight and controlled the low-frequencies came through, compared to others which certainly delivered the bass goods, but in a flabby and wooly sort of way.

Let's backtrack to late last year on a trip tp B&H in NYC, where I got to hear what - to this day - I consider the most beautiful sounding monitors (within that price range, let's be realistic), the Dynaudio BM6A . I always told myself these were the pair to get when I upgrade from my now seemingly "farty" Alesis M1mk2.

My KRK observation happened last saturday, relatively still fresh to my ears. With that in mind, I went back to B&H today to give the BM6A another listen. I wanted to see/hear if I should consider the extra $800 to give a pair of BM6A a new home. Unfortunately, I didn't have those same CD's on me, just some random ones in my bag, so I used them as reference. No doubt, they are still as impressive now as they were a few months ago, but for the life of me, I was trying my damnest to think of a reason to get the Dyns, all the while remembering how I felt about the V6's only a few days prior...

I think if anything, the imaging on the BM6 was better and perhaps the bass extension somewhat deeper. That said, my control room is rather small, about 9'X10', and surely, even something like the V4's would be a good nearfield for low volume monitoring.

It's a strange thing, perhaps some of you have experienced this as well, you focus in on a set of monitors that you really want (BM6A), monitors that perhaps 98% of the people (at least on this forum) praise and revere, in fact I was amazed at how many peeps here have them and love them, yet part of you wonders if it's a question of them sounding "so good" that's important? Well, no, of course, it's how you learn them and how they translate, of course, but still, part of me wonders if I should just save the money and go the KRK route and use the rest for acoustic treatment and all the trimmings? (Realtraps are definitely on the shopping list).

Thing is, I haven't seen too many reviews on these newer V series, which is why the dilemma is a bit inflated. From what I've read, most KRK reviews are referring to the older series, as these newer ones just came out early this year. There's also the new "Rockit" (RP5, RP6 and RP8's) and while they sounded good and were cheaper, didn't shine like the V's did.

I know I'm beating a dead horse (100 fold), but I figure, eh, what's one more 'last discussion' before I get the credit card out. You guys all seem very friendly and knowledgable, it would help me make a more informed decision. Bottom line, of course, is that I could always take one pair home and go for the next if they take the piss.

Thanks for any more insights on this, especially for more on the KRK's, as I've seen more praise on the BM6A than Hollywood's elite at a Michael Moore film opening.

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Comments

anonymous Thu, 08/26/2004 - 11:56

I haven't had the chance to A/B the KRK V6s with the Dynaudio Acoustics.

I went ahead and purchased the Dynaudio's a few months back on the recommendation of a pro mix engineer.

They are incredible and I'd say worth the $1,700 price tag, or get the passives for $700 if you already have a respectable amp like a Bryston 4B-ST. Enjoy!

KRK makes nice stuff for the money but I think, like the Stepford Wives said, "we can do better...".

Krou Thu, 08/26/2004 - 12:18

Thanks for the reply, Michael...

yeah, after reading about the BM6A's on this very site (nearly 2 hours on monitors, no joke!), I quickly realize that these are "the ones". I think I'm just fearing of going through that same Mackie 824 syndrome from a few years ago. At the time, my ears weren't as developed, nor was my knowledge of what a good monitor - to mix on - should sound like. I remember taking them home and being amazed at their "bigness" (coming from the horrible Event 20/20bas which was my first). As time went on and mixes occured, I began increasingly disliking the 824's, they were just "too much", I could never get the bass right, event at low volumes, there's seemed to be this hollow boominess, for lack of a better decription...

Now I'm more aware of what to look out for and certainly, the Dyns are capable of delivering great bass, albeit a more controlled and accurate one. So it's down to 1) the ones that sound absolutely great, or 2) the ones that sound great, are cheaper, but will deliver a great mix after a bit of a learning curve.

If a mere couple of hundred bucks was the difference in price, I wouldn't hesitate and go with the Dyns, based on overall reputation and user reviews. However, at a $700 differential, it's making the decision ever so difficult. I'm sure I'll figure it out and make the right choice eventually.

Krou Thu, 08/26/2004 - 13:47

I did give the V8's a listen and I'll tell you this, they were just as impressive as the V6, and the only reason I spent more time on the latter is because of the size of my room. The V8 were superb, the bass extended nicely and the imaging was wide with great detail, just bigger sounding overall, for obvious reasons. If had, say, a 15'X20' foot room I would be considering the V8's instead.
Go check them out, I'd love the see what you think!

Krou Thu, 09/16/2004 - 15:54

So I'm selling my Alesis monitors on saturday morning, still torn, Dynaudio BM6A or KRK V6 'series 2!' Aaaahhhh.... :o

To make the decision even more difficult, Dynaudio now has the BM5A's coming out in a couple of weeks, which I know will sound great and sell for $999, but I can't be that long without speakers!
Oh well....

Krou Fri, 09/17/2004 - 19:49

Bhennies wrote: I'd buy the v6's and throw the several hundred dollars you'd save into your room. I have the series one v8's and they're great, but my mixes sound terrible right now cause I'm living in a place for only 6 months and haven't had the time to treat the room.

That's exactly what I'm thinkiing about doing. I already bought 4 bass traps (wisdom kicked in, finally), then I'll close up my room and buy more of them later. I don't think too many people have jad a chance to hear the 'series 2' from KRK, I think those V6 will be quite a step up from the mushy Alesis sound.

It's weird, as much as I don't enjoy mixing on the Alesis M1mk2's, my mixes translate pretty well. It's one of those weird things I hate to admit, but it's true, and normally, one would think to keep them as that's what counts the most in the end, but for the life of me, their weird low-end and mid-range is so uninspiring, I feel like there's a veil covering them, they're just so boxy sounding!

Anyways, thanks for all your advice, but KRK V6's it will be.

Krou Sat, 09/18/2004 - 21:23

I just got my KRK V6 this afternoon and what can I say, I'm floored at how good and tight they sound. Most definitely a big step up from the Alesis, much more open sounding. The Dyns are still an object of desire, but for now, I'm very happy with my decision on the KRK's. Just thought I'd share...

p.s. one quick thing, although they sound great, there's a small static noise emanating from them which is quite annoying. I keep my cables tidy, using Mogami's straigh out of the 002R and both speakers are connected to the same power strip/ground, as recommended (I tried the rackmounted Furman as well as a standalone strip I have on the floor) but the buzz is still there....any ideas? I also don't have the speaker cables crossing any other audio cables.

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